Two English Queens and Philip

What it is

This is a book by Martin Hume, first published in London by Methuen and Company in 1908. It belongs to a series called Romantic History and includes a frontispiece and twelve other illustrations.

Why it matters

The book describes the rivalry between Elizabeth and her sister Mary and the dealings of both queens with Philip II of Spain. Philip was a king who was once married to Mary. Hume was an editor of the Calendars of Spanish State Papers, so his account draws on official documents, but it is written as a popular history for general readers.

Look closer

• Why might a book in a series called Romantic History choose to tell this story in a dramatic way?
• Whose letters and records does the author rely on, and whose voices are missing?
• How does the book's choice of title put the two queens and Philip in relation to each other?